BackStory
by hbrackett
Summary: This is intended to give some behind the scenes info about the newest characters that TW has not seen fit to show us. Isaac is up first, then Erica and maybe Boyd. One-shot, unless people like it. If you do, let me know in a review and any suggestions you may have. Some of the regs may show up later. Trying to do this canon, so no Sterek lol.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N – The new characters on TW are intriguing to me, but anything I write now will probably be contradicted by future episodes since they've only just been introduced, so this may stay a one-shot. I'm a little annoyed at the scarcity of their back-stories (hence the title), so here goes…**_

Isaac: Boy Interrupted

Isaac cowered at the bottom of the newly dug hole, the smell of damp earth all around him. It occurred to him that this grave might very well become his own; relief and terror mixed uneasily in him at the thought. He had no desire to die…but he had no particular desire to live either. He wished there were another choice.

The digger was totaled, no way was he going to keep this job when his boss found out. When his _father_ found out, Isaac might be locked in the broken meat freezer for good this time. He would die there, in heat and sweat and suffocating on the stench of his own waste. Isaac typically ate and drank very little, just in case a night in the freezer was in store for him. The less he consumed, the less he needed to eliminate. Once, he actually came out clean after being in there for twelve hours! Dad always forced him to clean the freezer if he soiled it…which meant bleach…which meant even headier fumes if he managed to get himself punished again very quickly.

Isaac clutched at his neck reflexively…so much of his life was spent struggling for oxygen that it was almost a permanent mannerism. He looked around at the hole…it was roomy…there was air (damp and earthy, but breathable) and he was safe from whatever monster was digging up the grave. And the other _scarier_ monster that chased it off…

The more he thought, the more it suddenly became his dearest wish; to be allowed to die peacefully at the bottom of this earthen hole and never see his Dad, the freezer, and that asshole Whittemore smirking at him from across the street…

Isaac regretted he had no pen and paper to leave a last missive to the world. Something like "Fuck off, all of you…especially _you_ Dad." Whatever. Let it be a mystery to them; let them wonder what his last hours were like…if any of them gave a shit.

He only wished he could have said goodbye to Erica first.

With a metallic groan, the digger slowly righted itself. Isaac thought randomly that maybe the digger was a Transformer, a friendly robot that would help him solve his life's problems…or tear him apart if it was one of the evil ones.

Footsteps approached, destroying the Transformers theory.

A dude with a dark grey jacket and worn jeans peered down at him in the hole, smiling ironically. There was something wrong with his expression…he didn't look like your average Concerned Citizen. There was a deadly evaluation in that gaze. Isaac knew that he was being measured in some way, and to be found wanting would mean death.

The dude seemed to come to a decision. He rearranged his features into one that only vaguely resembled concern.

"Need a hand?" he said simply.

{}{}{}{}

Isaac's father was asleep when he arrived home. It was an hour later than his usual time. Thank the gods for small favors, not that Isaac had believed in any. Until now.

Isaac's mother decided upon his name. She was devoutly religious, and as pious and self-sacrificing a woman as you could wish for. When she married Sam Lahey and discovered his true nature, she never stopped praying that he would stop the drinking, stop the abuse. She prayed right up until she had her 'accident'.

Sam came home drunk one night and forced himself on her…the only time he ever seemed to want to touch her lately, since Isaac was born. She announced her pregnancy two months later, on the same day Sam was fired from his job. He took the news well enough, or so it seemed. Three weeks later he punched her in the stomach, hoping to cause a miscarriage. He did that, and more. She hemorrhaged and bled out before she even got to the hospital. That was when the nightmare that was Isaac's life took a decided turn for the worse.

Isaac was locked in the deep freezer for the first time when he was just six years old. Sam was drunk, and had chained him in, loudly quoting the bible passage that the boy's name appeared in.

"And God commanded Abraham: "Take up thy only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest…and offer him up for a burnt offering." he chanted to the screaming child in the freezer. The smell of kerosene filled the tiny enclosure as Sam Lahey squirted it in and around the freezer.

"Where's the damn matches?" he said distractedly. Then he stomped up the stairs and (fortunately) fell asleep in his armchair, completely forgetting to burn his son to death as he planned. The next morning he let Isaac out and forced him to wipe up the pool of kerosene. When Isaac grabbed the rags off the nearest shelf, he spotted a full box of wooden matches just behind them. If they had been in plain sight…

Discarding these thoughts, Isaac went to his room and fell onto his bed. He knew what Derek told him was true…Derek had shown him enough to know for sure. He told Isaac to take the night to think about it, and to come find him if he wanted admittance to the Pack.

"What if I say no?" he asked timidly.

Derek just smiled at him, showing far too many teeth. Isaac fled.

Strength. Power. Heightened senses. Derek tried to convince him with these words, but Isaac saw through them and found the thing he wanted most, what Derek was implying with all his talk of super-healing and near-immortality…an end to the terror that stalked him every day of his life.

Derek informed him about the Argents, informed him about their methods. Isaac was no stranger to torture…it might be interesting to have someone else have a go at it for once. At least this time, he would have Derek and whoever else he recruited to back him up. All Derek demanded in return was loyalty…and he would always know if anyone lied to him.

Isaac had already decided he was going to go for it. He didn't even need the black eye his father gave him before school to further convince him. He would do it for the chance to _show_ that loyalty and maybe have it returned for once by someone who mattered to him.

When Sheriff Stilinsky called the Laheys out to the cemetery to ask about the grave robber and the missing girl, Isaac told him what he knew Derek wanted him to say, and not just because Derek could hear him from his hiding place in the trees. He said it to let Derek know he was ready to accept his gift.

Isaac left the school and rode his bicycle as fast as he could to the abandoned underground train station that was Derek's lair. He found the Alpha waiting expectantly as he looked into the beam of Isaac's flashlight.

"Isaac? Are you ready to join my Pack?" he asked simply.

Isaac only nodded, then wondered if Derek even saw it with the harsh beam in his face…but Derek's eyes were sharp.

"Good. Then shut that damned light off and come in here." he vanished into the train.

Isaac did as requested, shutting the light off…and dropping it to the ground. One way or another, he knew he would no longer need it.

He felt his way through the darkness to the train's opening, hearing Derek's breathing all around him. If Derek thought to frighten him, it failed utterly. Sam Lahey had him beat, hands down-

Isaac gave a shriek at the pair of red eyes floating in the air before him. He stumbled backwards, falling to the floor and smacking his head good on one of the metal support poles. He whimpered in pain and hissed at the sting of tears flowing down his battered face.

The eyes approached slowly, and Isaac could almost make out a silhouette…a silhouette that was changing shape.

"Come to me, Isaac." The distorted voice told him.

Isaac got to his knees, completely unmanned and sobbing like he did that first night in the freezer when he was six. He crawled forward a few steps, ripping at his sweatshirt jacket with one hand. Moist popping sounds came from Derek as he changed into the monster he wanted Isaac to become.

The sweatshirt refused to unzip, as if it were trying to thwart him, to keep him human and helpless and afraid. Isaac yanked it off over his head. The thing waited patiently…for the moment. The sweatshirt came free, but the zipper left a thin bleeding scratch across his left cheek. The thing inhaled sharply as it caught the scent of fresh blood. He felt a clawed thumb wipe away a tear and gently stroke the bruised and scratched skin around his eye. Then the thing stepped back.

Isaac stood on wobbling legs and tottered forward, tripping and falling into a pair of incredibly long and incredibly hairy arms. They wrapped around him tightly.

'Is…is he hugging me?' Isaac thought just before the teeth ripped into his shoulder. To the thing's surprise, Isaac's arms wrapped around _it…_ and hugged him just as tightly. After all, pain was the only form of love Isaac had ever known. His scream was colored by a rainbow of emotions, the fear almost lost within it.

{}{}{}{}

Isaac opened his eyes. It was light in the car…though that was impossible. Maybe his eyes just worked better now.

He instinctively sniffed the air, and recognized Derek's musk not far away. The scent triggered something in him; a pulse of subservience at the presence of his Alpha.

Isaac stood and retrieved his jacket from the floor. He pulled at the cheap zipper and only succeeded in tearing it completely off the jacket. Isaac chuckled, and wondered what the sound was.

Derek approached him, and Isaac cast his eyes down.

"Look at me, cub." Derek whispered.

It was the hardest thing he ever had to do, but he did it.

Derek was human again…or at least he appeared so. The look Derek was giving him with his piercing blue-green eyes was still an assessing, condescending one…but not as much as before. It was as if Isaac's worth had risen just a little since his 'initiation'. Isaac decided he would give anything to see a look of pride on his face, of respect.

"You made it through. Your shoulder and your face are all healed up. Not everyone makes it, you know."

"Derek…what should I do about my father?" he asked.

Derek growled. "Do nothing. Whatever you are tempted to do…forget it. Killing him will only draw attention to you."

The words 'I don't want to kill him!' rose to Isaac's lips, but he bit them off. Derek would hear a lie.

"I can't…stay with him. Not like this. You told me I won't have full control for a while, and the moon is almost full. He'll do something…"

"Leave it to me. I'll find a place for you and the others. You're almost 18. Just try to stay out of his way, and don't let him see anything he shouldn't."

"So…if he beats me…if he locks me in the freezer again…I should let him do it."

Derek's eyes flashed crimson as he experienced a completely unexpected surge of rage at the thought of someone harming his Pack. It surprised him…but he was new to these Alpha instincts.

"He doesn't have the power to _really_ hurt you, anymore. If he hurts you again…I'll need to make sure you are around plenty of witnesses when I rip out his throat. With my teeth."

"Why'd you pick me? Why not someone like…"

"Please don't say 'Jackson', it's too painful. I'm still kicking myself. I picked you, because I need a Pack who _likes_ being what they are. People who can appreciate the gift I'm giving them. You DO appreciate it, don't you?"

"You know I do. Derek, there's someone else I want you to…I mean somebody I think would love to have this."

Derek looked intrigued. "Excellent. Who is it?"

"My friend Erica. She's - "

"The epileptic girl. I know about her. She was all over Youtube a few weeks ago when she had that seizure at school." Derek finished.

Isaac's eyes actually flashed. "She's NOT just an 'epileptic girl'!" he growled. Isaac looked horrified then and cowered away from Derek. "Derek, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right. I didn't know you had feelings for her." Derek placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. He liked that the kid had some spunk in him…as long as he knew his place.

Isaac looked back, then sighed in relief when he saw Derek was not going to punish him for his insolence.

"She's …she's really nice, one of the only girls that was ever nice to me. I found the kid that made that video and beat the hell out of him. I thought my Dad was going to kill me when he found out." Isaac laughed. "He gave me a beer."

"I'll look into her. If she wants it, she can have it." Derek said simply. "Do you think she will want it?"

Isaac thought for a moment. "Yeah…if it would get rid of the seizures…yeah."

"Isaac, if I bring her into the Pack…she gets to decide who she wants to be with, if anybody. You will respect her wishes. Got it?"

"Yes! Of course…I don't even know if she thinks of me that way, I mean…I hope she does…"

"As a female werewolf, I may also have to send her on missions that require a 'woman's touch'. I can't have you getting jealous and challenging me over it. My word is LAW in this Pack! However, I would approve if the two of you did decide to get together; it's a lot less complicated than having to keep secrets from a human girlfriend. Believe me, that never ends well. But we're getting ahead of ourselves…she has to survive the bite first."

"She will. She's survived a hell of a lot worse." Isaac looked completely certain.

"I trust your instincts on this, Isaac. If she works out, you'll be rewarded. Now go on, get home. And Isaac…"

The boy turned around in the doorway of the train car. "Yeah, Derek?"

"If he locks you in that freezer…howl. I'll hear it, and I'll come for him. You'll have a perfect alibi."

Isaac nodded and left. The muscles in his face seemed to be trying to do something impossible. At first he thought it was the change…but then he realized it was a smile.

_**A/N – What do you think? Anyone want to see Erica and Boyd next? Let me know in your (hopefully) glowing reviews!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you to all who reviewed; I had this mostly written before the first one even came in, so I am going to publish it though not everyone likes Erica (lol) I find her to be an intriguing character. Some have suggested Derek/Isaac, and I will likely try that in a separate fic (The groundwork is all there.) but I really want to learn more about his character from the show first. Anyway, I wanted to post this before I ransack the basket of plot-bunnies that popped up for Boyd. Hope you enjoy!**_

Erica: Little Girl Lost

"Let me show you." Derek said…and Erica Grey's heart stopped in her throat as she watched his eyes flare crimson. Then he smiled, and his teeth were no longer human looking.

He was even more incredibly handsome than before. Erica gave him a smile that was only slightly deranged. Part of her felt this couldn't possibly be true; that in some psychotic Twilight fueled dementia she was imagining supernatural saviors rescuing her from a life that was worse than death. She closed her eyes and lay back, content to let the fantasy continue, not even bothering to hope that this was real and that she was not still back at school convulsing even while her bladder and bowels let go to the disgust and amusement of the Beacon Hills High School student body.

Cool dexterous hands glided slowly up her bare legs, lifting her hospital gown higher and higher. When her pale stomach was exposed, she felt him lean over and place a soft kiss on her side. She wondered what it would be like to be undead.

"Um…" she began, hoping that single stupid syllable wouldn't send him running. "Aren't you supposed to bite me on the neck?"

He stopped and straightened up.

"What exactly do you think I am?" he asked, teasing amusement in his voice.

"Well…your eyes are red, just like in the books…"

He laughed softly. It sounded honestly amused, and not at her expense.

"I guess I should have expected that. Think the _other_ 'team'."

"Oh…_oh…_oh my God, you must think I'm fuck-tarded."

"No, not at all. Are you disappointed? Do you want me to wheel you back?"

"NO! No, please…I always thought the stupid bitch should have gone for Jacob. Not that you're like him, I mean…oh my God, just bite me before I die of embarrass-"

He growled, and she heard the indescribable sound of his flesh changing. She didn't look, didn't want to see until it was over. With a sudden panic, she felt the 'aura' start. The metallic coppery taste of blood filled her mouth, as if she were the one that had bitten _him._ The shakes began, and her jaw clamped shut.

He didn't abandon her. She felt him swiftly roll her over on her side. In the next second, the teeth penetrated her quivering flesh. She felt a shrill piercing scream fill her, waiting to be unleashed…only she couldn't since her jaw was wired shut. But something strange was happening…the neural signal that was even now bouncing back and forth across the two hemispheres of her brain like uncontrolled lightning was suddenly tapering off as it met an answering wave of force from the powerful agents released into her bloodstream at the site of her bite-wound. A slow but inexorable heat-wave radiated outward from the bite, quieting down the spasms caused by the weird 'glitch' in her brain that gave her the seizures. Her legs stopped flailing, and her arms unfastened themselves from her chest. Her head was still shaking back in forth in stupid uncontrollable denial when the wave finally arrived and seemed to surround her brain in an envelope of heat.

She felt an indescribable _twisting_ sensation from deep in her mind…and the lightning signal vanished. The storm in her head had moved on, letting bright warm sunshine through.

Her body relaxed…completely relaxed…and she felt more in control of it than ever before. There was a blissful emptiness within her, as if the epilepsy were an evil spirit of some kind that had suddenly given up and departed after trying to wrest control of her body for years.

'_I am alone in here._' She thought to herself. It was like paradise. Except…she wasn't alone. Her hyper awareness of her body, learned from years of struggling with her illness, informed her that there was indeed another presence within her. But unlike the gibbering lunatic imp that caused her epilepsy…this had the feel of a faithful protector, a firm ally and guardian…like a giant monstrous guard-dog. Make that wolf.

The presence was small…seedlike…germinal. But it was already growing and spreading its essence throughout her body, filling her from within, sharing its life-force with her while destroying the damage her condition and the grueling medication had done to her for years.

"It's taking…faster than before. Isaac's presence in my Pack made the bite stronger." Derek said softly.

Erica sat up. The move was sinuous, almost predatory. Derek looked the way he did before…and he was smiling at her. The blood around his mouth made him look sexy and terrifying at the same time.

"Isaac? You did this to Isaac?"

Derek nodded. "He was the one that told me about you."

Of all the people at school he could have chosen, Isaac was the one person she actually didn't hate. He was beautiful, healthy and strong…but he always had a look on his face that was at least as haunted as hers. They always seemed to _recognize_ each other, as if they were kindred spirits of some kind. Like brother and sister. No…that wasn't quite right. She didn't know what demons haunted him, but he never once looked at her like she was a freak. Not even close. If he had a hand in her change…she owed him something special. Something he wouldn't forget.

The bite was scabbed already. Derek was looking really impressed with himself. He handed her a plastic bag containing her clothes. She lithely hopped to her feet and turned her back to Derek…something inside her told her this was disrespectful…but that he would allow it.

"If you want," he began. The pause was alive with unspoken meaning. "I can give you some privacy."

She didn't answer, just pulled the hospital gown over her head and stepped into her sweat pants. She pulled the Sweatshirt on over her head, and turned around slowly. She caught her reflection in a mirror for just a second, and smiled. She wondered if her mother would even recognize her. The acne was long ago and far away.

"I think, at this point, I have nothing to hide from you anymore." she licked her lips at him, and she actually heard his heartbeat quicken. Oh, he had given her so many weapons besides teeth and claws. She couldn't wait to use them all on the whole damned world.

"Let's…take you shopping." He had wiped away the blood, and crooked his arm for her. She stepped into her sneakers and slipped her arm into his.

"_Tell_ me that you have a hot car as well." she purred.

He just grinned at her.

{}{}{}{}

When Derek dropped her off at her house, her mother was on the phone with one of her fellow surgeons. Erica stopped and listened to the conversation from outside the home. In the mere two hours they spent at the mall shopping for clothes and hairstyling, Erica had completed more than one transformation process. She was no longer human. No more bite-wound, no more epilepsy…no more fucking Youtube videos. And no more pet project for her neuro-surgeon mother.

"…yes, I am aware that cutting through the Corpus Callosum would block the seizures, but you risk causing 'Split Brain' Syndrome, not to mention loss of her 3-D vision. How can she enjoy the movies after that? No, removal of the hippocampus would cause total shut-down of her long term memory storage mechanism. It would be like that awful 'Fifty First Dates' film, only without the dates. Well, nothing can be done anyway until they find where she managed to wander off to. Run away? Merrill, my daughter can barely walk without tripping over her own feet. I doubt kidnappers would bother with the effort of abducting her, either. If I only knew that using that experimental drug on her would have caused all of these problems…"

Erica growled low in her throat. She stepped up to the door and unlocked it, slamming it open hard enough to crack the wall behind it.

She heard the phone hurriedly hung up, and a moment later her mother appeared.

"Erica, where on earth have you…"

Dr. Linda Grey looked at her daughter for the first time with an unfamiliar emotion. This was highly unusual since she had rarely felt emotion for her offspring even from the time she was born. She engaged in a _pro forma_ month of breast-feeding that left her slightly disgusted with the child, after which she chose to view her as an opportunity to engage in some experimentation with drugs that had not yet been approved for clinical trials. The disastrous epilepsy had been a boon of sorts, since she now pioneered research into the condition that led to lucrative funding and grants and public speaking engagements. Of course, hiring a full-time live-in nurse had been necessary, but she could well afford the expense. As Erica approached adulthood, and her potential for research experimentation declined, Dr. Grey was considering permanent institutionalization for her daughter

Except now, that highly unusual emotion kept her from speaking or moving from her spot while she beheld the young magazine model passing herself off as her daughter.

The emotion was, of course, terror.

Erica was looking at her with a gaze that was piercing…_knowing_ almost.

"Mother. You're looking…alarmed. Anything wrong?" The voice seethed with razor edged confidence. Dr. Grey had never felt inferior to another human being her whole life, and was now made to feel like…like a deer or a sheep by her neurologically impaired train-wreck of a daughter.

"Erica…they told me you left the hospital. I assumed you'd run away." Her voice faltered, and she cursed herself.

"Soon, maybe…but not today. I'm just here to drop off some clothes, and then I'm off." Erica walked towards the stairs, her heels echoing off the marble floor.

"But your seizure! Your medication!" Impulsively, Dr. Grey clutched her daughter's arm. The next thing she knew, she was being slammed into the wall, and sliding _upward_ as Erica easily supported her mother's weight with one hand.

"No more seizures. No more medication. No more fucking guinea pig daughter. I'm 18 in two weeks, and Grandpa's trust fund money is all mine. Then I move out, and you will never fucking come near me again. That's the plan. Any objections?"

Erica squeezed tighter, and Dr. Grey felt her daughters' incredibly sharp nails digging deep into her throat. Blood flowed down into her blouse, the wetness in her cleavage reminding her vaguely of that long ago aborted attempt at nursing her baby.

Erica dropped her. Dr. Grey landed on the floor, and contemplated the awesome possibility she would have to visit the hospital in a…non-professional capacity.

"It's probably best…if you don't even speak to me anymore. Not one… single… word. I don't know what I might do." said the Erica-Impersonator.

Dr. Grey stayed where she was until Erica left a few minutes later. Then she took four Valium and washed it down with Scotch, and fell into her bed…after making sure her bedroom door was securely locked.

{}{}{}{}

She met Isaac at the park. It was nighttime, and no one frequented the place for fear of muggers. They sat side by side on swings, just sharing the warmth of each other's presence in silence.

Eventually: "Thank you."

Isaac shook his head. "You should be thanking Derek."

"You sent him to me. This…is incredible."

"You're beautiful. I mean…" he faltered, unable to look at her.

"_I_ have Derek to thank for that. He spent quite a bit on me today…"

"You were beautiful before Derek found you. You always were."

Erica blushed. His steady heartbeat cut off the reflexive denial hiding in her throat. "Even after Freddy Overlock filmed me pissing myself, you thought I was beautiful?" She felt no shame telling him about this.

He shrugged. "Freddy Overlock spent some fun days having a few fake teeth put in for doing that. Besides, I've…been there. My Dad locked me up so long once that…well, it wasn't pretty."

Her heart broke for him, then. They had a great deal in common it seemed. She listened to him recount a laundry list of hurts (ending in his father's bizarre murder and Isaac's own recent jailbreak), after which she shared what she had learned this very day about her mother. Now she had trouble looking at him.

They swung ever so slightly in total silence for a few minutes.

"Wow, we're really screwed up!" Isaac suddenly chuckled. It was infectious, and she was laughing along with him. The laughter grew until they tumbled off the swings and reflexively grabbed each other for support. They straightened up, looking into each other's eyes. Erica studied him closely for the first time…the Turning had not changed him as obviously as it had her…He looked the same, but there were subtle differences. His hair, his eyes…even his jawline. There were minute changes that erased the hunted look that dominated his features. The invisible mark of the predator was there, that hidden sign that let most humans know not to fuck with the people that had it.

"No. We aren't the screwed up ones."

He leaned down and kissed her then, and she responded with an almost totally alien feeling of real passion. It was too new, too raw, too powerful.

"I-" he began.

She gently placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"No, don't say it…not just yet. Give me some time to adjust. When you say it, I want to be able to say it back. From what I'm feeling…that might be pretty soon."

He nodded, and took her hand, a shudder flowing through him as he interlaced his fingers through her own.

They sniffed at the same time, just a second before they heard the voice.

"All right kids, your money and your jewelry and no one gets hurt."

The victim (who didn't yet know he _was_ one) waved around a knife that would do him no good at all in the last few minutes of his life.

"Isaac, there's something I've been wanting to do with you. Are you… ready?" Her gorgeous eyes flicked towards the confused mugger.

"Well, I wanted to wait…but sometimes you have to just seize the moment." Isaac smiled even as his eyes flashed bright amber.

Love and Death (that old married couple) hastened to the park that night to claim their newest victims.


	3. Chapter 3

Boyd: Brotherhood

Boyd gave Stilinsky the keys, and was not at all surprised when (having gotten what he wanted) he immediately fled back to Scott's table. Sure, Boyd insisted on the fifty bucks, times were hard. What Stilinsky utterly failed to realize was that Boyd would have given the keys to him for free…if they were friends. He looked around the crowded lunch room. At every single table, kids were sitting with a friend or two or six. He was an outsider, and not just because he was one of the five African-American kids in the whole school. The other kids just didn't know what to do with him. He was too big to bully, too poor be friendly with, too unique to have a relationship. The only African-American girl was his second cousin, and none of the other ladies seemed interested in crossing that racial picket line and giving him a shot.

He sighed, resigning himself to a life of virgin-hood until he got to college. _If_ he got to college. The grades were there, and there was even some money and the possibility of grants and scholarships. It was his gran. She was old and she was sick. She had also taken care of him since he was two and a half. Any money he made went to her to support the household. She didn't want it, told him over and over again to put it towards his own future…but he just wasn't built like that. She gave him a life, and people that did right by him earned his unfailing loyalty. He would _die_ for his gran.

The problem was that Boyd was a loner, and he knew all too well what happened when there was no one who had your back. Some of the local (and not so local) gangs had tried to recruit him. He was big, he was strong as an ox, and he could look real mean when he wanted. Boyd always (politely) turned them down. They had respect that he wanted to take care of his family (or that was what they told him at least). They offered to be his _new_ family when he didn't have one anymore. And that was what he wanted more than anything. It was unsettling how tempted he was by these offers…but deep down he knew that in a gang, your 'family' could turn on you in a minute. That wasn't what he wanted…he wasn't that desperate, yet. He prayed his gran would live until he was 18. He had no desire to be put through the humiliation of foster care at his age. He would wind up at a shelter and there the gangs would have him right where they wanted him, and he would _have_ to join.

He looked around at them all, the students who looked at and _through_ him as if he weren't there, and he wondered if this were any better than what it was like 150 years ago. Slavery sucked, to be sure…but people surely did _notice_ you.

Boyd had read _Uncle Tom's Cabin_ his freshman year. Back then he was horrified at what people of color suffered, and he still was. The idea of being _hunted_, just for being what you were, chilled him to his soul. Nobody hunted him today. Nobody even knew he was alive. Except for Stilinsky. But unless you were Lydia or Scott, Stilinsky kept the conversation to minimum and then ran off to find one of them. It was funny, since both Scott AND Lydia kept _him_ at a distance too. At least Boyd _knew_ when he was being excluded.

After school, Boyd went home after shopping for some food with Stilinsky's money. He got home and began cooking for his gran, some broiled steak, mashed potatoes with gravy and sautéed vegetables. He looked up the recipes during the day and whipped them together with instinctual ease. He wondered (not for the first time) if he could make a career out of being a chef.

Gran came in, shuffling with her walker before easing herself down into her usual chair. She took in the feast with amazement.

"Boyd, honey, you are _spoiling_ me with these fancy meals!"

He leaned down to kiss her cheek, and she pulled him into a rough hug.

"It's nothing. I like to cook." he said, straightening up.

"Well, you sure are good at it! Sit down with me and let's dig in!"

Boyd took his seat across from her, and tried to blank out his mind while she said Grace. Instead, for the first time ever, a flash of prayer went through his mind. He wasn't religious (though he would never tell that to his Gran) and the idea of asking some all powerful being for a little help that never came…well, it just rubbed him the wrong way. Today…a quick thought came and left, and if any gods heard it…if any existed that is…he doubted they would answer.

The thought was "Please…don't let me be alone. Please don't let me be without a family."

Who knew, maybe something did hear it.

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He got up early the next morning and went down to the rink before school. He wanted to see what damage Stiles and his friends did, and if he would need to stay to fix it before the rink opened. To his relief, everything seemed to be normal. There weren't even that many skate marks on the ice. He could probably run the Zamboni over it in an hour. School ended at 3, the rink opened at 4…no problem. He turned to leave.

Someone stood in his way.

"Excuse me, we're closed." Boyd said reflexively. Surely the guy knew that, though. Bleakly, Boyd wondered if he were about to be robbed…but the guy didn't look like the type. Hell, all white people looked the same to him anyway.

The guy was dressed in jeans, leather shoes and a dark grey jacket. His blue-green eyes contrasted sharply with his jet-black hair.

"Hello, Boyd."

"How do you know my name, cracker?" Boyd growled, bunching his hands into fists.

"Cracker? I've been called many things, but never that. It's refreshing. I'm Derek."

The white dude didn't put out his hand, just said his name as if that explained everything.

"What do you want, Derek? I've got to get to school." Boyd made to step past him, and the guy just blocked him without even seeming to move.

"Just a question, before you go."

Boyd stepped back. He was bigger than this freak, but something told him not push it. It was the same feeling he got from the gang leaders who tried to recruit him. The sense of _command_ radiated from him like an aura.

"Ask."

"What would you say if I told you that you didn't have to be alone?"

Boyd shook his head, a grin coming to his face.

"Dude, I don't bark that way."

Derek laughed. "That's funny. I don't mean like _that._ I mean…how would you like to join my family?"

Boyd gaped at him. This guy was some kind of gang leader? He looked way too…Abercrombie & Fitch.

"We don't come from the same family, bro…in case you haven't noticed."

"You're right. But I _do_ have the power to change that. And if you joined…you'd always have us to look out for you. I take care of my Pack."

"Huh, a Pack? Like in wolves? What's the deal with you and your posse? Drugs? Prostitution? Stealing? Man, I don't have time for that shit. And you don't have the power to turn me white, not that I'd want to be!"

"I think…I'm going about this the wrong way. Join me, and I can make you someone that people will take notice of."

"You're right in front of me, and I don't see anything special!" Boyd was getting sick of talking to this guy. He wanted to get out of here and get to school.

The guy scowled.

"How's this? Is this special enough for you?"

The cracker suddenly growled around teeth that looked like they belonged on a hellhound. His eyes started glowing red, and lethal claws sprouted from his fingertips.

"Holy sweet mother!" Boyd turned and fled toward the other side of the rink. He slipped halfway across and slid another few feet, sure that the thing would be on top of him in a moment, ripping and tearing at his flesh. Instead (when he forced himself to look) the guy just calmly walked toward him, looking human once more.

"What the hell are you?" Boyd gasped out as his heart hammered in his chest.

"I take it you don't get to the movies much. _I_…am a werewolf. And I want _you_ in my Pack. You're big and strong…I bet some of the gangs would love to get their hands on you. Join me, and you'll be ten times as strong. You heal from just about anything…you change whenever you want once you learn control…and it feels fantastic. All you have to do is give me your loyalty. I won't kid you…we have enemies that will try to hunt us. You might call them a rival gang. I can teach you how to survive, and if things work out the way I plan…even the Hunters will stop being a problem. I'm building something here, Boyd. Something unbelievable, something that's never been done before. You can be part of it. Isaac and Erica already joined up."

"Isaac? I thought he'd be afraid to join the Cub Scouts. And Erica is all freaky with those seizures-"

Derek growled low again and reached down with a clawed hand. He easily lifted Boyd into the air like a rag doll while maintaining his balance on the ice.

"That is my _Pack_ you're talking about. Isaac is a different person now, and I think Erica is way out of your league. Listen, my time is valuable. If you don't want in, I'll find someone else. I picked you because I thought you had potential. So what do you say?"

Boyd's windpipe was effectively closed so he just nodded his head yes. There was no way he was getting on this dude's bad side.

"Good." Boyd felt his shirt being lifted up, and a gurgling scream forced itself painfully through his clenched jaw as he felt the hellish teeth rip a chunk out of his side.

Derek let him down gently, then took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his mouth.

Boyd hyperventilated while trying with all his might not let a single tear fall from his eye.

"That…fucking…hurt!" he gasped out.

"You'll be healed by tomorrow. And Boyd…you're one of mine now. Do you understand?"

Boyd got slowly to his feet, and looked down at his new leader.

"Let's get one thing straight. These are modern times. You treat me the same as everybody else, and I don't take orders like we're on the plantation. I take this family shit seriously, and that loyalty goes both ways and it has to be _earned._ My grandmother? She took me in and gave me everything she had, and there is _nothing_ I wouldn't do for her! You show me that, and I'm your right hand man."

Derek considered. "Done." He extended a hand, and Boyd took it and shook it slowly.

"I'm going to take care of you, Boyd. We have a few wrinkles to iron out before we can really live large; that damned Hunter family and my rogue werewolf McCall…but just have patience. I don't forget loyalty…or betrayal."

"All right man. Damn, this still hurts. How long does this take?"

"You should be changed by tonight. There are some things you need to know…"

Later, as Derek finished filling him in on the ins and outs of being a werewolf, Derek suddenly sniffed the air.

"Your Pack is here."

Isaac and Erica walked in. Isaac looked like he raided Jackson Whittemore's wardrobe, and Erica…well she was the stuff dreams were made of. Certain kinds of dreams.

Boyd gaped at them, and they approached him smiling. Isaac shook his hand warmly, and Erica gave him a tight hug.

"Welcome to the Pack." they said at the same time.

"Uh…thanks." he said back. Despite all of his resentment at being alone…it was going to take some time getting used to _not_ being alone.

"Derek, I want to be the one to take him shopping tonight." Erica pouted.

"Fine by me. He picks the store, Erica. I don't need a second Jackson clone."

"Shopping?" Boyd asked incredulously.

"It's to celebrate being let into the Pack. We need something, Derek gets it for us. Within reason." Isaac explained.

"I told you I would _think_ about the motorcycle, Isaac." Derek said patiently.

"Motorcycle? How rich are you?"

"Rich enough, and I can be very generous with my Pack when they earn it. And now I need to hand out some assignments. Erica, go to Boyd's house in case the Scooby gang looks for him there, then get back here."

"Right." Erica walked out slowly, and all three men watched her leave.

"Scooby gang?" Boyd asked.

"McCall and Stilinsky. Ugh, I suppose I better tell you all about them too."

Erica returned by the time Derek was finished.

"Stilinsky showed up. I gave him a trash bath. McCall should be here any second."

"Let's give him a surprise." Derek grinned.

The three left Boyd on the rink. He got on the Zamboni, wondering if this were the last time he would ever do so. He pondered the things Derek had promised him. Power, a family, a place in the world, friendship and loyalty. He was too pessimistic to believe that Derek was telling him the whole truth, there was definitely something the…_Alpha_ wasn't telling him. But Boyd would take things slowly, and see how they worked out.

Derek wasn't the only one who never forgot loyalty. Or betrayal.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N – So quite a few people liked these stories (except for my favorite Erica-hating fan DJDP) and I am torn between keeping it canon and mixing it up a bit…but we'll see what the future holds. Hope everyone likes…**_

Isaac and the Wolf

CRACK!

Isaac broke yet another bone as Derek viciously repelled his amateurish attack. 'Seventeen, and counting,' he thought randomly as he cradled his arm, waiting for it to knit. Isaac had suffered more physical abuse at the hands of his new mentor than his father ever dreamed of heaping on him in his wildest drunken fantasies. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, trying with all his might not to show weakness in front of Derek. He remembered this same struggle with his dad…but Derek was someone he really _wanted_ to impress.

He risked a glance over at his Alpha, and Isaac's throat closed at the sight. Derek was smirking at him, shaking his head…and looking at him like he was a complete and total failure.

It was just a bit too much; on top of the physical pain he was in, the rage and hatred he felt towards himself for just _never_ being good enough for anybody ate away at his self-control. A part of him that he had thought dead since getting bitten suddenly awoke, and whispered into his mind that there was a way to forever escape the humiliation of his existence. It would definitely be harder now…but fuck it.

"Try again. Now." Derek commanded, crouching back into his defensive posture.

Isaac lay there, and shook his head slowly, just once.

"Isaac. I am asking you politely, and as Stilinsky could tell you, I only do that once."

Isaac surprised both Derek and himself by laughing. He had to admit, it was a pretty funny line. In fact it was one of the funniest things he heard in a while. Right up there with 'Join me, Isaac, and a whole new life can be yours.' Just a different person beating up on him now, along with a supernatural capacity to get his ass kicked and live through it.

It was like being in Hell.

"Fuck you, Derek. I've had it. You want to kill me…go ahead."

Isaac stood up slowly. Tears that Derek didn't even think the boy was aware of started pouring down his face.

Isaac shot his claws out, reached up and raked them down his own cheek. The pain was a tiny blip on his body's radar.

"You and my Dad could finally take it easy. I don't need you anymore! I'll just save you all some trouble."

He stuck his left arm, the one that hadn't been broken since yesterday between the bars of a grill set in the wall, and used leverage and his own wolf strength to savagely snap it. He screamed.

"Okay Isaac, that's enough-" Derek's eyes flashed crimson, and he put the edge of Alpha command into his voice. Isaac registered his words not at all as he walked painfully over to stone support pillar and slammed his head into it with sickening force. The rough granite tore away a flap of his scalp, and blood poured down the left half of his face. He fell backward, his head crunching into the concrete floor. Unbelievably, he was still conscious. His right hand (trembling uncontrollably as his nervous system tried frantically to repair itself) gripped a sharp-edged piece of steel from the debris on the floor, and brought it up to his own throat (his body was in too much agony to maintain his Beta-shift, and his claws had vanished). The shard was snatched from his hand at the last second.

"See? The s-s-student…s-surpasses….the m-master…." Isaac mumbled before his mind finally shut down.

Derek looked down at him, unmindful of the blood pouring out of his hand as he clenched the steel shard with all of his strength.

What was he doing to this boy? To the others?

Derek leaned down and folded the flap of scalp back onto the boy's exposed skull so that the healing could finish itself. Then he went over and sat down in the empty train car and put his face in his hands and gave a great broken groan. His eyes were blue, and alarmingly…moist. He hoped Erica and Boyd wouldn't return from their mission anytime soon.

The Argents had taught him to be inhumanly tough…but that had come over the course of years. Isaac was already tougher than Derek had been at his age…Derek had a childhood that Jackson Whittemore would have envied. At seventeen years of age he had a huge loving family, the pride of being a werewolf, and he had been in love…

He growled, still pissed off at McCall for besting his Betas, and even more pissed that the stubborn teen refused to join Derek's Pack. McCall was strong in ways he didn't even realize. Derek knew somehow that Scott could provide the missing element that would make real fighters out of these kids. Scott would make a legendary Alpha if he ever got the chance to make the jump. For as much as Scott hated being what he was, where did he get his strength? Why was he so powerful, even without Derek's tutelage?

Derek really thought about this for the first time, and attempted to find the answer.

First: Although Scott tended to take his best friend for granted, he would do absolutely anything for his mother or his stupid high school crush that would no doubt be forced to kill him one day. He was perfectly willing to risk his life.

Second: He was misguided about what Derek was trying to achieve (and Derek could only see himself explaining it to Scott by punctuating _each point_ with a massive injury). But misguided or not, Scott believed in what he was doing, and he believed it was for the greater good. Derek didn't kid himself; slicing open the kid's stomach did nothing to dampen his sense of purpose, as shown when he fought the Kanima at the pool…_defending_ Derek while he did it.

Was it because he _believed _in what he was fighting for? If so, what did Isaac have to fight for? Any of them? What did _they_ believe in?

He saw now things he should have considered before giving them the Turning Bite…but it was just exactly too late. Maybe…

An idea was coming to him. It was risky, especially considering Isaac's fragile state of mind…but it might just work. It would be far crueler than anything he had done to the boy so far, but it might awaken the fighting spirit Derek needed him to have.

Derek couldn't turn Isaac into a fighter through mere training…he was broken from too early an age and had no motivation to fix it.

Derek was going to give him that motivation.

He heard Isaac moving, and went to check on him.

The boy had healed from his injuries, even the broken bones in his arms. He was still pretty bloody, but he seemed not to care.

He looked at Derek with dead eyes.

"Ready for round two?" he asked.

"Isaac…"

The boy stopped just as he was about to plunge his claws into his own eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I'm…a hardass. I know it. You're probably comparing me to your dad…unfavorably. In my head, it's because I want more than anything for you to be able to keep yourself alive."

"Derek, if you're about to fuck with my head…just don't."

"Did my heart skip? I'm telling you the truth. You can't deny it."

Isaac nodded.

"I just suck, Derek. You made a mistake. You should have just let my dad kill me…like he was meant to. Like he killed my mother and baby brother…or baby sister."

Derek felt a surge of hope as the unmistakable scent of rage mixed with the bloodsmell in the air…he was on the right track. This would work. This was how to give him the strength McCall had.

"You're the one I have the highest expectations for. Erica and Boyd…they'll never be anything more than henchmen." Derek practiced a trick his father had long ago taught him and kept his heart rate steady.

Isaac glared at him.

"Don't underestimate her, or it's your funeral."

Privately, Derek agreed. The girl had the makings of a wildcat…especially since she was in heat.

"Please, I send her on the simplest missions and she comes back a failure…and she doesn't even know why she failed."

Erica and Boyd walked in, looking dejected.

"Told you he'd know." Boyd muttered.

"Sorry Derek, we couldn't find out where that thing came from-"

Derek backhanded her, with all of his strength. She slammed into the far wall two feet to the right of Isaac's own dent.

Isaac was on his feet.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" he yelled, not caring about Derek's wrath whatsoever. Inwardly, Derek was stoked…it was working.

"That's nothing compared to what I'm _going_ to do to her. You have potential, Isaac…but she is completely hopeless. I feel like beating her to death…with Boyd."

"Say what?" Boyd called from across the room.

Derek stomped over to where Erica lay dazed, and picked her up by the collar of her jacket. Her furious eyes focused on him.

"Play along. It's for _him_." Derek mouthed at her silently. She flicked her eyes over to Isaac who looked to be in a towering rage.

Erica rolled her eyes and resigned herself to some incredible pain.

Then she raked Derek's cheek with her claws.

Derek roared and hurled her into the side of the train car. He didn't expect that…but he admired her improv skills. She knew exactly what Derek was doing, and was pitching in…and getting a little payback at the same time. She _did_ have potential.

Derek started to shift into his Alpha form as he stalked her. She was fully Beta shifted and in an attack crouch. Boyd was horrified, and made no move to interfere either way. A pity, but Derek was already beginning to form a plan to motivate him too.

"_Derek!" _Isaac roared. The Alpha ignored him, and lunged at the female Beta, catching her arm in his jaws and snapping the bones.

What his own bones breaking failed to do for him, Erica's succeeded admirably.

Isaac leapt, raw hatred on his Beta shifted features as he was, in three quick leaps, suddenly on Derek's back and raking for all he was worth. Derek threw him off, but the Beta twisted in the air, and landed on his feet long enough to spring back at the surprised Alpha in less than a second. He landed a stunning blow to Derek's mid-section that cracked several ribs, and then the Beta was lifting him in the air and throwing _him_…hard enough to crack his spine into the same abused wall. Derek healed in seconds, and was just starting to be worried he had gone too far when Isaac landed a lightning fast chain of claw and bite attacks that Derek barely had time to block…attacking back was a ludicrous thought.

"Shit…he might actually take me…" Derek thought randomly…

Then Boyd entered the fray, and knocked Isaac off of Derek. Isaac growled, his eyes glowing a hellish amber and showing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. _This _was the Isaac that Derek wished had fought Scott that night.

Erica blocked Isaac's path, and for a second, Derek thought he might attack her…but then he backed down.

Everybody shifted back to their human forms.

Derek coughed up some blood.

"Isaac…I'm really proud of you." Derek gave him a weak 'thumbs up' gesture.

Then he passed out.

{}{}{}{}

Once Derek recovered and awakened, he explained to Isaac what it had all been for. The boy sat there, trying to sort through the experience and find something he could use. Derek helped him try to work it out.

"You fought better because I was threatening something you cared about. That's what makes Scott as good as he is…and it's what makes the Argents as deadly as they are. You couldn't do it before because you were doing it for yourself…and you just don't care very much about _you._"

"So you _did_ fuck with my head." His eyes were hard and flat. Fighter's eyes.

"Isaac, the Argents would cut Erica in half; if given the chance, they'd do it to all of us. Every time you fight, you have to think that you might be the only thing standing in the way of them killing all of us next. We are your family, your _Pack_…and if you can't fight for yourself, then you need to fight for _us_. If you can't…you may as well offer your throat to the next predator that comes along. And I may as well start looking for your replacement. Can you do it?"

Derek listened carefully for a lie, but he needn't have bothered.

"No." Isaac said flatly. "And I think you know why."

The silence revolved slowly in the air between them.

Derek shrugged.

"Boyd, Erica. Go back to your homes. Isaac and I will be taking a little trip tomorrow. We'll be back the day after. Lay low, don't go looking for the Kanima and steer clear of Scott, Stiles and the Argents. I _mean_ it. If you guys get yourselves into trouble, I will not be able to get to you in time. Got it?"

They nodded.

Derek turned back to Isaac.

"Tomorrow will be your most important lesson yet. Rest up. We leave at dawn."

Isaac gave him a sullen look.

"Whatever. More torture, I'm sure."

The two men went to their makeshift beds, but sleep was a long time coming for both of them.

{}{}{}{}

The two were on their way after washing up in the functional bathroom that was one of the reasons Derek chose the place as a lair.

They roared out of Beacon Hills in Derek's Camaro and raced past White Rapids and Red Falls…finally leaving California behind altogether.

They crossed over into Nevada, and came to a hot and mostly deserted town called Tonopah. The local high school field was deserted, and Derek led Isaac into the middle of it after pulling some lacrosse equipment from his trunk.

"What the hell, Derek? You want to train me with lacrosse? What kind of Mr. Miyagi bullshit is this?" Isaac hefted the stick in his hand, and swung it around expertly.

"This isn't training. Let's just play. No Alpha/Beta crap, no wolf-powers, just us."

Isaac was listening carefully to Derek's heart, and finally just shook his head bemusedly.

"All right."

They played for nearly three hours, Isaac gradually gaining more confidence as he realized it wasn't some kind of trick. Derek was good; Jackson would have been surprised at how naturally good he was. Isaac was better. When he scored his first goal, he looked furtively at Derek, wondering if he would be mad. Derek just clapped him on the back. The Alpha finally gave up when the score was 12-2, and they packed the equipment away.

"I'm starving." Isaac announced.

Derek drove around until they found a local diner. It was nicely air conditioned, and the owner Sheryl waved at them as they entered.

"Hale, long time no see. Have a seat, I'll send Frieda over."

Isaac ordered enough food for three people, after glancing at Derek for approval.

They ate in silence, neither of them really sure how to start a conversation. The unpleasant memories were still too close for the boy, and he was afraid of saying something that would ruin whatever Derek was trying to accomplish.

After they paid the bill, a teenage boy named Ned who worked as the fry cook came out and spoke a few words to Derek. Isaac at once detected the boy was a Beta. Ned gave Isaac a long look before heading back into the kitchen.

When they were on the road again, Isaac couldn't restrain himself.

"Who were those people? How did you know them?"

Derek sighed.

"My uncle bit Ned while he was visiting Beacon Hills with his family. I found him before they left and explained what was going on, and what to expect. When I became Alpha, I called him and told him about what Peter did, and asked him to join my Pack. He refused. He wanted as normal a life as he could have, and he seems to be getting his wish. His boss and his girlfriend know what he is and they support him. He's in danger, and always will be…but Tonopah has so far remained off the Argent's radar. If you ever decide you want out of my Pack…I'll find someplace for you where you could be as safe as possible. Ned likes his life, but I think sometimes he hates being the only one around. That's why I visit him now and then. In a way, he _is_ in my Pack, because I look out for him. Just like I want to look out for you. I want you to stay though, and I want _you_ to want it too."

Isaac was silent.

There was a traveling carnival at the north end of Tonopah, and they stopped there for a while and had fun with some of the sideshow games. Derek let Isaac use his wolf power to ring a gong with the oversized hammer at the "Test-Your-Strength" attraction. Derek knocked over weighted bottles easily with a baseball. He gave Isaac a stuffed wolf that the boy stuck into his jacket.

"See, now you have your own Beta." Derek joked. "Now let's see you try it."

Isaac took a few throws to get it right, with Derek patiently giving him instructions the whole while, but soon he knocked over his own pyramid. Afterward, they went on a roller coaster (Isaac had to beg Derek for ten minutes to get him to agree). The Alpha screamed louder than anyone else on the ride. After the spinning teacups, a laughing Isaac had to help his mentor walk while he struggled with nausea. The two ate constantly over the course of the day, and decided to go to a local tavern that specialized in beer and hot-wings.

They devoured three baskets of wings, and Derek drank almost a whole pitcher of beer by himself before getting up and singing an incredibly bad karaoke number (the Village People's 'Macho-Man') on a small stage. The audience booed him good-naturedly.

"If I told anyone what I just saw…they would never believe it." Isaac told him, when he recovered enough to stop laughing.

"You will take this secret to your grave, you…you…BETA…" Derek slurred. "I'm your ALFIE and don't you forget it!" Then he fell off his barstool.

"C'mon, Alfie." Isaac shouldered his mentor and somehow managed to maneuver him into the Camaro's passenger seat after finding the keys in his jacket pocket.

As he slid the key into the ignition, it occurred to him that he was about to drive the most Badass muscle car in the universe, and that Derek would never allow it if he had been sober. And conscious. Isaac looked at the snoring Derek and then at the stuffed wolf cub. He thought he was beginning to understand.

"You're _my_ Beta. And I'm _your_ Alfie." he told it seriously.

He stuffed the cub back inside his jacket.

As the engine roared to life and they sped back to Beacon Hills, Isaac thought that this might easily be the best part of the trip. They pulled into a gas station, Isaac filled the tank quickly, hoping he wouldn't be seen and recognized.

As he replaced the pump, Isaac felt something pierce his jacket; a silvery dart seemed to have appeared magically out of nowhere. He quickly pulled it out before falling to his knees. A figure approached him; an older guy with a ridiculous handlebar mustache and brown trench coat. The gas station's lights suddenly snapped off.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? An escaped wolf? The Argents always did suck. I'm in town five minutes and I find a comatose Alpha and a fugitive Beta. I'm gonna dump your bodies on Argent's doorstep as a little Christmas present. My name's Aureus. And yours…doesn't matter anymore. Goodnight, son. Your Alpha will be following you close behind, don't you worry. Betas get cut in half, but Alphas? Let's just say they always seem to lose their heads around me. I'll do him and be back to finish you off, if the aconite hasn't already done so."

Aureus pulled a sword from a scabbard that hung at his side. A _freaking sword._ He opened the passenger door of the Camaro, and Derek spilled out of it onto the pavement. Aureus looked disgusted.

"Since when can a werewolf not hold his liquor?"

"Since never, asshole."

In a split second, Derek had his devolved jaws sunk deep into the Hunter's leg. He screamed (knowing that the bite meant two very unpleasant choices in front of him) but managed to keep standing and even raise the sword over his head for a fatal downward strike, frantically hoping the legends about the werewolf cure were true. Before he could bring it down and find out, a set of clawed hands gripped his head and twisted savagely to one side. The Hunter collapsed bonelessly to the ground, the sword clattering harmlessly to the side.

Derek shifted back, as did Isaac a moment later.

Isaac picked up two objects from the ground and showed them to Derek. The stuffed wolf cub, and the silver dart. The wolf cub had a hole in its side, and some of the stuffing was poking out.

"He got Snarls."

"Snarls?" Derek asked.

"I named him after our team mascot. He was helpless. He died to save me, got in the way of a bullet with my name on it."

Derek started to smile at what he thought was a joke, but stopped when he saw the look on Isaac's face.

"Then you know why I'm so hard on you guys." Derek stated simply. "I don't ever want that to happen."

"You would do it for us, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. But I'd rather kill."

"Me too. Make be better, Derek. Even if you have to pound my ass into the ground. Make me better."

"I will." Derek thought to himself that Scott might be in for a surprise the next time he went up against the new Isaac.


End file.
